A good friend of mine wants me to teach her to ride this year. She has ridden for a few years but is still very much a beginner. Currently she is riding if I remember right an old Rossignol ex rental board from like 5 years ago, so far from optimal. It has some heavy rock damage so rather than repairing it I am planning to buy her a new one for Christmas this year, and I found a 2009 K2 Moment board on sale at a local shop for 179.99$, bear in mind I'm canadian so that is canadian dollars. I have done a little research and this seems to be a pretty good board for a beginner rider, but something she can progress with as she gets better which is what I would like. We are looking at around a 150cm, she is about 5'4" and maybe 140lbs at most (you know how women are she hasn't actually told me her exact weight) but we went to a store together and she did say that she fits into the weight range that was specified for that size board. Also feet are size 8.5 or so. I will be taking her to Mt Baker a couple times this year, as well as Cypress and probably Whistler at least once too. So I am looking for a board that can pretty much be ridden anywhere without being too difficult to learn on, and one that she won't have to replace right away with a higher end board. Would this be a good board for this, or is there a better board in this price range I should look at? I am in Canada and I don't want to buy online, so take that into consideration also. Thank you for any help you can give me.

I currently have a 2008 K2 Moment and it was a great board to learn on however it is truely a beginner board. I out grew it in 2 seasons easily skill wise. So it will all depend on wether you want a board that will last a little longer or if you're willing to upgrade once her skills progress.

The moment has great turn initiation and isn't too bad in icy conditions if the edges aren't too dull. I loved riding it on hard pack and in moguls. Because it's such a light board, for me anyway, it was not fun to ride in heavy snow or on steeps.

Ok thanks that's what I was hoping for, some first hand experience with this board. I'd rather not have to buy her another board in a season or two but I also don't know how good she will ever get either. There was a K2 Luna for around the same price, but from what I have read that is a more advanced board and I was concerned it might be too difficult to learn on. She is not a total beginner but I haven't gone out with her yet so I have no accurate assessment of her skills, beyond she has told me she can do heelside turns but falls over going toeside. Maybe the Luna might be a better option?

I don't know much about the Luna. If she was a little lighter I'd sell you my Moment for $100 but it will be too small for her. I think you should look on ebay and an kijiji for a used beginner board. You can find some good deals that include bindings out there.
For example:

Well she doesn't really want a used board, and as it is a present I would prefer to get something new also. She does like this sport, that's why she wants a new board so I'm not worried about that. The Luna is supposed to be an all mountain board.

The Luna is, in my opinion, a better board for her. It is slightly more advanced, but still made with progressing females in mind. A lot of ladies learn on the Luna and it's a board that she'll be able to progress with as well.

The Rome Vinyl is a comparable board to the Luna . Also check out the Ride Compact - a good board that's easy to ride. You may be able to find last year's model on sale for pretty cheap. I've recently heard good things about the Sierra V-Spot as well. The Capita Space Metal Fantasy is a fun board, too.

I am pretty sure that I saw a Luna at the same store that had the Moment, I am going to go back tonight and have another look. I just hadn't done any research before going shopping and the salespeople were not helpful, at least not on women's boards. It wouldn't be too difficult to learn with that board?

Ok awesome thanks. So based on the advice here and a bit of research I decided to go for the K2 Luna, it seems like the best fit. I found a place that had a new leftover 2008 Luna for 250$ which is still a little more than I wanted to spend but I think it will be worth it if she doesn't have to buy another in a year or two. Plus it's a lot of board for the money, full sticker price on it was 379.99$. Good thing they have a layaway plan. And price protection so if it were to go on sale boxing day I could get it cheaper even.

If ur going to Baker, do a performance rental for her at the lower lodge and she can demo a bunch of boards. The performance rental allows you to change out boards, bindings and even boots whenever you want. Have her do a couple of runs and then try another...let them know that's what you want to do and lineup a few boards...its probably better to do on a weekday, so you won't be hassling with weekend gapers. Btw have her ride some beginner and higher end boards...but maybe its a waste if she is a beginner...nevermind.